


Carry On

by OrangeSorbetto



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin, Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin
Genre: Depression, First Meetings, Friendship, Not Beta Read, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25362406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeSorbetto/pseuds/OrangeSorbetto
Summary: Nishikage does not care about anything. Nothing brings him joy, or excitement, no one cares about him. Well, until he meets Nosaka. This is the story of how they meet and how Nosaka changes Nishikage's whole world.(This isn't actually romantic, it's more platonic, but there are hints of the ship regardless, so I put the tag up. So if you do or don't ship it, you can see what you like in this fic!)
Relationships: Nishikage Seiya & Nosaka Yuuma
Kudos: 12





	Carry On

It was hard for Nishikage to want to do anything. He never did his homework, he never listened to adults, and he never listened to any random person telling him his clothes were ripped or his hair was too light. He did what he wanted.

However, wanting to do anything was tough for him. The onset of being a teenager had come with ultimately tough feelings. He felt hopeless, and like there was no point. He wasn’t going to high school, his middle school informed him his grades wouldn’t be high enough at the rate he was going, and he probably wouldn’t change it. His parents didn’t care.

That was the biggest issue. His parents didn’t care. Neglectful, spiteful people made Nishikage Seiya, and they didn’t want anything to do with him, so he rarely went home. He didn’t want anything to do with them either.

Days of wandering the street, only going home to find money to steal from his parents, or to sleep, finally ended when he met Nosaka.

Nosaka Yuuma ran into a burning building to save a girl, he jumped out of the window to save her. Nosaka Yuuma had none of the same fear Nishikage had--he couldn’t make himself go in, even when he saw the girl.

Nishikage put out the fire that his clothes caught. The few guys he was with, (not friends, just people he wandered with), helped Nosaka into an ambulance when it came, and Nishikage went with him. He wasn’t sure why, but he was enthralled by what he saw.

When he finally got to talk to Nosaka at the hospital, it was evident that he had something to live for. He had that spark in his eyes that said he was going to change the world. Nishikage was drawn to him. He decided to visit him every day. It gave him something to wake up for.

“You don’t have to keep coming here.” Nosaka finally said to Nishikage as they sat on the rooftop balcony of the hospital. It had been at least four days since they’d known each other.

Nishikage shrugged, half-hearted. “I just figure you might like company.”

“I don’t need it. I’m used to being without it.” Nosaka confessed this with a smile, but there was a solemness behind his eyes. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”

Nishikage shook his head. “Not really.” He answered.

“Don’t you have friends or family?”

Nishikage shrugged. He didn’t really have either of those things.

Nosaka nodded at his shrug and his nonanswer. It was obvious that they were alike in that sense. “What about school?” He asked curiously.

Nishikage shook his head. “I’m failing everything.” He explained. “There’s no point in me even going. I’m not going to high school.”

Nosaka left it at that. He knew there was something that Nishikage wasn’t saying. He wasn’t a man of many words, it seemed. But when he looked into his eyes they seemed hollow. Perhaps he needed a friend.

“Do you like soccer?” He finally asked.

Nishikage looked at him confused. “No.” But then again, he didn’t like much of anything.

Nosaka smiled. “I think I can change your mind.” He chuckled a bit in thought. “How would you like to be on a soccer team with me?”

\--

Nosaka healed eventually and he decided to practice soccer with his new friend. The first session of soccer training went fine. Nishikage showed up to the meeting spot, and did as he was told. They kicked the ball around, and Nosaka’s attention to deal, and his slight smile when he did, made Nishikage feel comfortable. He liked to be around Nosaka like this.

As the sessions got more difficult, Nishikage felt more and more overwhelmed. It had been a week of all day training, and he couldn’t grasp what Nosaka wanted of him. Nosaka never outwardly looked frustrated with him, but Nishikage could tell that he was disappointed.

Nishikage didn’t want to be a disappointment on this amazing person any longer. He didn’t tell Nosaka, but that seventh day would be their last practice. He wasn’t going to show up anymore.

The next day rolled around and Nishikage sat at home. His parents left for work or whatever they did and left him all alone.

So, like most days when he wasn’t on the streets, he sat in his bed wondering if he should turn on the television. Getting up was such a chore. 

He would have stayed in bed all day, if it wasn’t for a knock on the door. He almost didn’t answer it, but he decided it might be important. Nishikage finally got out of bed, hair a mess, pajamas still on, and a blank expression on his face as he answered the door.

“Yo, Nishikage.” Nosaka’s light smile greeted him as he opened the door.

Nishikage was stunned. “How...did you know where I lived?” He had never taken him here, and as he closed the door slightly so he couldn’t see the mess his family lived in. His parents never cared to clean the house.

Nosaka shrugged. “I saw the address you wrote down on a paper once.” He explained. 

Once. Nosaka had seen his address and memorized it after one time? Nishikage was floored.

“You didn’t show up for practice. Have you been sleeping?” Nosaka looked at his watch. It was nearly the afternoon.

Nishikage blushed a bit, the embarrassment now eating away at him. “I must have slept in.” He lied. He wasn’t good at lying, but he truly didn’t think he would see Nosaka again. He assumed he would take him not showing up to be a sign and just carry on with his life. He guessed that wasn’t Nosaka’s style.

“Well, may I come in?” 

“No.” Nishikage closed the door a bit more, still blushing and only leaving enough room to see his face. “I mean…the house is a mess…”

“I can help you clean it.”

Realizing that “no” wasn’t going to be an answer that worked, he blushed further and opened the door a bit more. “You don’t have to do that. I wasn’t going to clean.” He admitted.

Nosaka smiled wider. “Well, I’d still like to help. They say a clean environment helps for a good headspace.” He explained.

Nishikage stepped aside and opened the door further, letting him close the door behind him and take off his shoes. As he led Nosaka down the hall of the small apartment, he blushed harder. He hated taking people to his house, so he almost never did it.

Nosaka followed looking around. “It’s not that messy.” He was always mentally preparing for what he grew up in. This house wasn’t even close. “I bet we can clean this up in no time.”

Nishikage shrugged. He guessed he was cleaning today. 

“Let’s clean up your room first.” Nosaka suggested. 

Nishikage hated that he said that, but he had already seen the rest of his house--why not see the mess that was his room. He walked him in and sighed as he looked at the clothes on the floor, the spare wrappers from conbini food, the all around mess. 

“Let’s get started.” Nosaka smiled, undeterred from the mission.

\--

He was right, it only took a few hours to clean the small house. Once it was done, they sat in Nishikage’s room to relax for a moment.

“Where are your parents now, anyways?” Nosaka couldn’t help but ask.

Nishikage shrugged. “Work.” He assumed. He never knew if that was true. They said they worked, but they rarely had a lot of money to give to him. He always stole it out of their wallets. 

“Mm.” He nodded and bounced the soccer ball on the floor of Nishikage’s bedroom. “Why didn’t you come to practice today?”

Nishikage blushed, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of answering this. Lying about sleeping in would only get him called out on lying, it seemed. “I don’t like soccer very much.” He finally muttered.

“Oh? Why not?”

“I’m not good at it.” He said that, but it was really not that he wasn’t good at it. It was more that he constantly saw the look of disappointment in his face when none of his shots went right. It was painful to see that look of disappointment he tried to ignore from his family and his teachers and see it in this boy he admired.

Nosaka just shook his head. “No, I think you are.” He countered. 

“What?”

“I think you have the potential to be really good at this. And I’m not going to give up on you.”

Nishikage looked at him now, seeing the resolve in his eyes. Everyone he had ever known had given up on him. He saw how serious he looked when he said it. He meant it. “You’re wasting your time.” He finally muttered, still enthralled by the resolute expression. 

“I’m not.” Nosaka kept his smile as he spoke, but his eyes were earnest. “My time with you is not wasted. I think we can change the world together.” 

It was a lofty goal, but the words weighed on Nishikage’s heart. No one had ever committed this much time with him before, especially not so that he would succeed. “Nosaka-san…” Was the only thing that came out of his mouth in immediate shock.

“Besides, I have a different training regime today.” Nosaka let his eyes wander to the window, looking outside at the blue sky. “I think you’ll make a great goalie.” 

Nishikage watched him stare off, still taken by the resolve in his eyes. How could he say such important words so easily? Did he even have any clue what he was saying?

“So, every day, we are going to practice.” Nosaka turned back to look at his new friend. “Even if I have to come here and drag you out of bed. I won’t let you slip away from me.”

Nishikage blushed at those words, since they were so serious and intimate. They had only known each other for a few weeks and no one had ever been this passionate about helping him before. His heart ached for the affection and caring he’d never had, but seemed to receive with this boy. Someone cared about him.

“Now, let’s start Day One of goalkeeper training.” Nosaka stood up and held his hand out to his friend.

Nishikage stared at his hand a second before taking it. The way he gripped his hand was soft and tender, no one had ever even held his hand so sweetly before. As he stood up, he let Nosaka let his hand go to pick up the soccer ball. 

“L-let me get dressed first.” Nishikage realized he was still in his pajamas as they stood up. 

“You can practice soccer in that.” Nosaka grabbed his hand again now. “Come on, before daylight is gone.”

“Nosaka-san--?!”

Nishikage was confused by the contact, but he knew he just had to go along with it. He supposed he was going to play soccer in pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt, but he didn’t even care as Nosaka held his hand, dragging him out.

Nosaka had the same resolve in his eyes as he held Nishikage’s hand. Nishikage knew that Nosaka must have meant it. He wasn’t going to give up on him.

And that was exactly what he needed to carry on.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the writing server I'm on for giving me the idea like months ago. I'm glad I finally got around to writing this!  
> Sorry for any errors, I tried to catch them all but inevitably there will be some that got away. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
